Honoring Real Heroes in Memphis Parks

Maybe the Sons of the Confederacy are right. Taking the names of their heroes off Memphis parks is rewriting history. Instead of rewriting history, maybe we just need to write it right.

To do this, there is already precedent for our simple compromise – add the names of African-American civil rights heroes to the names of the Confederate loyalists.

Let’s add the names of real heroes like nationally prominent Memphian Ida B. Wells, fearless anti-lynching crusader, suffragist, women’s rights advocate, journalist, and speaker. Or Joseph Harris, the first African-American to own property in Shelby County, in 1834 (after first buying his wife and baby daughter). Or Ed Shaw, a target of the Ku Klux Klan in 1868, elected to the City Council in 1873 and served as wharfmaster in 1874, making him the highest paid official at the time.

Hear us out.

There once was Ashburn Park overlooking the Mississippi River from its promenade at the south end of downtown. We forget for whom Ashburn Park was named, but when it came time to honor The Commercial Appeal’s historical columnist Paul Coppock, his name was simply appended to the Ashburn name and life went on.

Ida B. Wells, A True American Hero

From where we sit, we dearly love the sound of Forrest-Wells Park. Or Davis-Harris Park. Or Confederate-Shaw Park.

And best of all, we can even add statues of these heroes to counterbalance the bust of Jefferson Davis or the grave sculpture of Nathan Bedford Forrest in the parks bearing their names.

The names of the Confederacy’s beloved remain, but are balanced with the names of heroes cut from the most gallant cloth of all.

These were not men and women who were fighting to defend their property. They were property.

These were not men and women fighting for their beloved heritage. They were forbidden to even whisper about their real heritage.

These were not men and women of privilege. All they wanted was the privilege to be free.

It’s hard to understand why the defenders of these parks’ present names are so hardened that they cannot hear the deafening message that these true Southern heroes deliver to us today. These are Memphians with meaning, Memphians driven by a simple dream for America to live up to its founding creed.

They deserve to have their names on these parks, because they are the people who deserve to be remembered, honored and revered by us as a city.

Instead, we get tombstone-like markers erected by a bunch of white guys, replete with Confederate flags and even a Rebel uniform, at Forrest Park. City of Memphis Chief Administrative Officer George Little is to be congratulated for saving Memphis from the embarrassment attached to the latest demonstration of the local death cult honoring people who thankfully lost a war 150 years ago.

While it’s tempting to suggest that people honoring American traitors at this point in our history need therapy, but for some reason known only to them, these Rebel rousers find it impossible to let go of the past, embrace the present, and prepare for a better future, even if it is insulting to the vast majority of Memphians. That said, most of us are willing to compromise, and for us, it’s not taking the Confederate names off our parks, but adding the names of real American heroes to them.

18 Comments

Forrest was a man of great bravery and honor. Below he placed an ad(one of many),to track down his beloved property,3 black men whom he owned body, soul, and spirit. He loved them so much.
Please read….
Memphis Weekly Avalanche: 25 October 1859

RUNAWAYS – $750 REWARD.

Ran away from my place, near Sunflower, Mississippi, on Tuesday, October 4th, 1869, three Negro men, PETER, REUBEN and READ.

PETER is about thirty or thirty-five years old, dark copper color, weighs about 200 pounds, six feet and one inch high, slow walk, and slow spoken; had on when he left heavy cotton jeans pants, with a blue stripe down the leg, and black wool hat. He has a wife near Tatesville, Miss.

REUBEN is about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, black, very light beard, about five feet eleven inches high, weighs 160 pounds, rather quick spoken; had on when he left heavy cotton jeans pants, with a blue stripe down the leg, white round-about, black wool hat.

READ is about thirty years old, light copper color, weighs about 155 pounds, about five feet ten inches high, slow and plain spoken; had on when he left heavy cotton jeans pants with blue stripe down the leg, green cloth coat with velvet collar, black satin vest and black hat. Read has been to the free States before, and they all three are, no doubt, trying to get back again.

I will give the above reward, $750, for the three negroes described, or $250 for any one of them, if taken in a free State, or $100 for any one of them, if arrested in a slave State and confined in jail so that I can get him.

Yes, he should be honored. Such a man contributed so much to African American family unity, stability and happiness. Let us honor him for he also created an iron device for the neck of runaway men. He reportedly shackled them and made them walk while the iron spikes jabbed into their necks bleeding them like horses. What a great representative for Memphis! His legacy lives one in the lives of those who adore him. When they see the face of their God, he shall surely look at their works and say,”Well done!”
Yes! Yes, let us exalt Nathan Bedford Forrest.

I think this is a great idea, but I’m also fine with completely renaming the parks and removing the statues as well. I kinda think they are an embarrassment to Memphis, but I also think they serve as a good reminder of how far we have come and how much further we have to go. If we forget our past we are doomed to repeat it, right?

Either way we definitely need more landmarks and public celebration of civil rights heroes in Memphis. We have a great history in this regard which we should be proud of. Perhaps adding some additional historical context to some of the existing confederate landmarks would be beneficial. Maybe add a plaque or other statue or mural about the unheroic side of Forrest to balance it out and better reflect the reality of his historical record and what we can learn from it. Either way, we’ve got plenty of available spaces around town to celebrate more African American heroes who would better reflect Memphis today.

Dear Anonymous, Anonymous, and Anonymous, my name is Chloe Evans O’Hearn. I am proud to be a Memphian and am not ashamed of my opinions. I’m not a racist. What’s your name?

I really like the idea of honoring other prominent Memphians- especially those that would have not been allowed to fulfill their potential under the Confederacy- in these parks. Simply renaming the parks is not enough, this town is in need of more monuments and statues to bring those names to life for current and future citizens. Statue commissions are expensive undertakings, but I would proudly donate to a fund for a statue of Ida B. Wells to be placed in a prominent location in one of our city parks. Church may have a park, but he deserves a grand monument honoring his actions without which the rise of the “new” Memphis following the yellow fever epidemic would have been significantly delayed or perhaps would never have occurred. A statue of Shaw perched high atop the bluff overlooking the historic riverfront landing- perhaps as part of Confederate Park or at the Law School (former site of the Customs House)- would be appropriate.
Would it be appropriate to erect separate monuments to African American soldiers and nurses from Memphis that served during wartime before integration was the norm (Spanish-American War, WWI & WWII)?

Where were all these “historians” and “history buffs” for the last 100 years wanting to erect monuments to the thousands of brave soldiers who enlisted right here in Memphis in the USCT? Yes, thousands of African American men enlisted and fought patriotically for freedom and the Union and there is virtually no public recognition of their service and the fact that these mid-southerners got their military induction right here. Don’t bring out that tired old “heritage and history” card, neo-confederates. You want the Confederacy to have won deep in your hearts. BTW, I’m white and had at least 4 ancestors who fouhgt for the Confederacy, but it’s time veneration of these guys stopped. And ANY historical marker about Forrest needs to mention prominently his culpability in the Fort Pillow affair. If it is historical after all…..

Hi Chloe, It must be nice to be open and able to share your name, but I have been a victim of racists who have targeted my life with lies, accusations, retaliation, and spite against me, my job, and those that I love. Not in the 60′s. Last year! This happened just for stating my opinion. It must be nice to be free. I cannot be as open as you are. Have a nice day.

I had to read that first post 3 times to figure out if the poster was being facetious or not so apologies if I misinterpreted it at first. Considering the vast amount of shamelessly racist anonymous comments you come across on virtually all online media in Memphis (you need only look at ANY article on the CA website), I tend to assume the worst intent of most anonymous posters here.

I do also think most generally well meaning people in Memphis turn a blind eye to the rampant, blatant and veiled racism in Memphis so I’ve started making a habit of publicly calling people out on it when they say something racist and assume the rest of us agree with them. If you’re gonna hate, just be open about it. It’s easier on the rest of us to know upfront that you’re an asshole. If you don’t hate, don’t be ashamed of that. Your courage might inspire others to do the same. Individual circumstances may vary though.

I agree to adding names. Would make me feel a littler more at ease when happening upon some of these places. I like not forgetting the past, while adding to it with names, statues, information that is not mentioned and at risk of never being heard.

Chloe,
The CA- like many news site- has an aura about it which tends to attract every extremist commenter from near and far. You will not find the same degree of vitriol, angst, anxiety and stupidity here or on many other blogs. The one thing you will find here is passion and , for the most part, intelligent posts and commentary regarding a plethora of topics and issues impacting Memphis and other cities.

As for being anonymous, some of the topics discussed here and the resulting posts involve a degree of inside knowledge based on personal experience, employment or other factors that may prevent the author from using their real name or even a consistent “pen name” without putting their current employment or future prospects at risk.

Then again, while this is no doubt an important issue to many in this community, the whole history vs. integrity argument taking place is causing us to skip over a few things:
1) The marker was removed without from the park without the approval process one would expect concerning such an issue. This despite the fact that the marker was provided and installed by a private organization with the signed approval of the Director of Parks Services. The fact that the sign was removed at the direction of one individual raises questions about process and transparency.
2) Is this issue really worth the furor it has raised and the attention it is receiving. There are some really serious issues facing the city right now including a proposed TIF district for the area south of Downtown, violent crime is increasing at a noticeable pace- so much so that the decreases that the gains made in reducing crime before 2010 have been eroded by half, meanwhile we have a police director who is either unsure or unwilling to use one of the communities most valuable and proven tools: Blue Crush, and finally we must contend with the fact that this metropolitan area may have literally gone over the long predicted financial cliff (and perhaps passed the point of no return) when for the first time in its history the value of real property within the city limits-= and perhaps all of Shelby County- actually decreased when compared to the previous period.

But golly, let’s spend more time focused on an obscure sign for a minor city park.

1) While the former director of parks services says that she does not recall the substance of her conversation about this sign, there is a document in which she does seem to encourage the placement of the sign. That said, it is not clear that she obtained the approval of the people in the chain of command who generally vet such issues. The City of Memphis Chief Administrative Officer, who removed the sign, is the chief operations officer of the City of Memphis and the boss of the parks director, so as far as we can tell, he has the authority to make these kinds of decisions, whether they pertain to a park, a police car, or a city building. Clearly, he was not consulting on this decision and he should have been.

2) You’re right. This issue is not worth the furor it is receiving. The sign should never have been put up, and those who attach their self-worth to a losing war 150 years ago should take it off the table by accepting the decision of the city’s operating officer.

If this is your version of an obscure sign, we’d hate to see what a significant sign would be, and as for the obscure park, it is on the main thoroughfare of this city and its the neighborhood park for University of Tennessee whose recruitment of foreign and minority students can’t be particularly helped by a finger-in-your eye symbol of oppression in a sad chapter of our history.

wow what’s wrong with Memphis ? we’re still fighting the Civil War but now just on another plane !

Memphis folks see the world through a prism of race, ethnicity and color, it’s the worst I’ve ever been exposed to in a supposed dynamic city ! why can’t Memphis just move into the 21st century ?? if we don’t do it we’re going to be considered a permanent anachronism.

well maybe those who started the civil war (or their descendants) should be the ones to stand down first. Forrest was an accomplished and daring military leader, no doubt. Germany had some absolutely first rate combat generals in WWII, who fought on the Eastern front. And presided over terrible atrocities in an immoral war of aggression. You don’t see statues to these guys in Germany, even if their military exploits are still studied in war colleges.

This group contacted the city regarding a park that had no signage and offered to pay for and install a sign…..Cindy Buchanan sent a letter approving of their plan for the marker and instructing them who to contact to facilitate installation. She copied Little! These guys followed through to raise money and place the sign.

I thought it was odd and a bit ugly when the thing first appeared but it was there for several months before Bailey complained, Little conducted an investigation, voila had it removed as a rogue effort….but he never contacted the group that installed the marker….seems like the city didn’t know what was going on and then needed to jerk out the sign asap for political reasons.

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This is Smart City Consulting's blog and its purpose is to connect the dots and provide perspective on events, issues, and policies shaping Memphis and its future. Smart City Memphis was named one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, it was voted the best Memphis blog in About.com's Reader's Choice Awards, and The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal wrote: "Smart City Memphis provides some of the most well-thought-out thinking about Memphis' past, present, and future you'll find anywhere." If you have questions, submissions, or ideas for posts, please email tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.